Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are the key to medical progress. Through clinical trials, researchers test new ways to detect, treat and prevent Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Without clinical trials, there can be no new treatments or cures.

Ground-breaking research is going on that could have a measurable impact on the lives of current and future Alzheimer's patients. But a lack of volunteers for Alzheimer's clinical trials is significantly slowing down this research and the development of new Alzheimer's treatments. Recruiting and retaining trial participants is now the greatest obstacle, other than funding, to developing the next generation of Alzheimer's treatments.

2011-2012 Alzheimer's Disease Progress Report - Intensifying the Research Effort. This report from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focuses on research findings reported and projects funded in 2011 and the first half of 2012. These highlights, prepared by NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA), the lead institute within NIH for Alzheimer's research, covers work by an active scientific community. This work aims to elucidate the basic mechanisms and risk factors of Alzheimer's disease, then apply this knowledge to the development and testing of new interventions to treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease.
The efforts of researchers and clinicians--made possible by the many people who volunteer for clinical studies and trials--may one day lead to a future free of this devastating disorder. This report details some of the recent progress toward that goal.